The Arizona sentinel., 1887-02-12
JOBS VENGEANCE.
How a Nofed FrontieSsman Avenged thu
 Murder of HfsSCompanions.

Kansas, '1 was hunting and trapping on the Cimarron river, on the line ot the Indian Territory. There were three of us, my partners being named Hank White and Lee Benson, respectively, and brave, good men they were. We were about ready to pack up and get out of the hunting grounds when White accidentally fired bullet into his hip, and we found ourselves forced to lie close until he could walk. It was a severe but not dangerous wound, and it was likely that in about fortnight he would be able to move. The h. dians had not bothered us any to speak of up to this time; but now, as if to add to the perpleXities of our situa- ton, the devils seemed to be over- running the neighborhood. We had a camp which was well nigh. impregna- ble to attack, and the towards con- tented themselves with lurking about and seeking to cut one or the other of us off without exposing themselves. l was fired upon twice in one day, and next day Benson got bullet through his cap.
 "While we had ceased trapping, one of us must do more or less hunting to supply the camp, and only one could go out at time. White was little better than helpless, and we dared not leave him alone His wound was rapidly improving at the end of ten days, and we were feeling sanguine that he could use his leg in another ten, when l went out one morning after meat. Game had become shy and scarce in our im- mediate vicinity, and I made jaunt of about six miles up the river to reach some wooded bottom lands. It was mid-afternoon before re- turned, having the hind quar- ters of doe aad fine turkey. 1 took the usual precautions when approach ing camp, but met with no alarm until entered it.. Then 1 found White dead and scalped, and brutally disfgured, Benson missing and all our traps and peltries and other property gone. The Indians had been there. was so taken aback that'it was some minutes before I could act. Then went out to SCOUT for their trail and seek evidence as to whether Benson had been carried of or murdered. I was circling about the place when I heard voice faintly call- ing, and entered thicket about eighty rods from camp, to find Benson lying on the ground in his blood; he had been wounded in three places. He was hard ly better than dead man, and it was in whispers that he told me the story. I had been gone about two hours, and he had started for the river to get some water, when he was fired upon and six Indians dashed at him. Benson had a Henry rifle in his hand, and he treed and returned the fire, killing one of the Indians. They were between him and the camp, and while two of them held him at bay, the other three went in and killed White and packed up the property. Benson could not expose himself, nor could he pursue when they drew off. Had they hungered for his life they could easily have taken it, but they seemed satisfied with what they had &C., complished. The man didn't live an hour after relating the particulars, and went down on my knees by his dead body and swore to avenge my com rades.
 "A month later twenty men of us pioneers, hunters, Indian fighters and scouts, banded together to hustle band of five or six redskins who had captured and run off some horses from a couple of ranches lying between the south fork of the Platte and the north fork of the Niobrara riverrs. They had a full days start, but their captured animals were obsti- nate and unruly, and they made but slow progress. I had been elected cap tain of the band, and about sundown of the first day, knowing pretty well the route the Indians must take for the next two, I called in some of the oldest scouts for consultation. The result was that we planned short cut, and rode all night and until noon next day to make sure work of it. Then one took position in dry run bordering the edge of a narrow valley through which the Indians were expected, and every man saw that his firearms were in order. We had over two hours to arrange the details, and when the say ages finally appeared in sight we were gratified to discover that the band we had first pursued had been strength sned along the route by others. There were now thirteen redskins. We were stationed along the run about four feet apart, and it was un- derstood that not a shot was to be fired until the head of the band was fairly abreast of the head of our line. It seemed too bad that there were not just thirty Indians, so as to give us man for man, but that was matter we couldn't improve on.
 "They came into the valley without the slightest suspicion of our presence. The herd was driving better, causing no trouble, and some of the Indians seemed to be asleep as they logged along. As they ride in close order their line did not exceed ours in length, and every one was fair target as we got the signal and fired upon them. Nine of them keeled off their saddles as